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GratiTuesday #13

Finding the positives in every day. 


To be honest this week was 99% Steel Magnolias. It was tech/show week so besides work in the day, I didn't have time for much else. But it was a WONDERFUL week...

Tuesday May 5, 2015 - Tech Rehearsal. It was a long one, but everyone worked really hard and we got a lot of good stuff done and ready for the shows!

Wednesday May 6, 2015 - Dress Rehearsal! It's all coming together. Can't believe this is the last ever rehearsal for this show!

Thursday May 7, 2015 -- Saturday May 9, 2015 - WOW. Three nights and three absolutely beautiful shows. I could not be more proud of all of the women involved with this show. Of course I cried EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. You'd think after all these months, I'd know how the show ends... The cast party was a lovely gathering, complete with ARMADILLO CAKE.

Sunday May 10, 2015 - A lovely mothers day with the family. Brunch. Trip to the Nursery & Garden Centre. Family dinner. Great day.

Monday May 11, 2015 - I made THIS:


Play along by posting in the comments, blogging your own GratiTuesday or tweeting with #BestThingToday!

GratiTuesday (on a Friday...) #11 & #12

Finding the positives in every day.


Life has been busy, busy, BUSY!!  Hopefully I'll get this back on a regular, every Tuesday schedule once Steel Magnolias is over - tomorrow already! Holy smokes!

 

April 21 - April 27

In response to some pretty crappy, body shaming comments from a British TV presenter, an amazing hashtag rose up. #WeAreTheThey has been amazing to follow and participate in. So many fab people of all shapes and sizes came out and said "I'm the 'THEY' you're talking about and, no, you won't make us 'feel uncomfortable'. And we look damn good." Also this week was my local TEDx event. It was another insanely inspiring day. I highly recommend you seek out any TEDx events near you. The Friday was the final home meeting of Avengers Club where we watched 2 of my favourite Marvel movies, Iron Man 3 & Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Also I discovered the app MyIdol, and life will never be the same.

#WeAreTheThey

#WeAreTheThey

MyIdol weirdness

MyIdol weirdness

April 28 - May 4

I got an amazing new profile picture, drawn by artist Matt Cummings, of my most anticipated upcoming comic Power Up! I also had a good chat on Twitter with a "geek clothing" retailer about maybe expanding their women's lines to include actual plus sized options. Initiated by them! I love a company willing & eager to listen! Also, AGE OF ULTRON came out this week! I celebrated with shawarma on Thursday before I saw it that evening, then saw it again the next day with some of the Avengers Club crew in IMAX. SO WORTH IT. And if that night wasn't Marvely enough, when I got home my first Marvel Collector Corps box was waiting on my step! Look for an unboxing post in the near future. Spoiler alert: I LOVED IT. Saturday was Free Comic Book day! I'm really happy with the 3 freebies I ended up grabbing. Gronk: A Monster's Story/Hero Cats of Stellar City, Step Aside, Pops/Super Mutant Magic Academy and Comics Festival. From there I went to my friend's annual Derby Day party. I decked myself out in fantasy theme with a fascinator with tiny dragons, a unicorn & a Pegasus on it as well as my crazy Unicorn dress. Some of us ended up pooling some money and actually bidding on the main race - which knocks another item off my 30x30 list!


Play along by posting in the comments, blogging your own GratiTuesday or tweeting with #BestThingToday!

GratiTuesday #9 & #10

Finding the positives in every day. 


April 7 - April 13

MY JAMES HANCE ORIGINAL OF ADAM WEST BATMAN ARRIVED. It is so glorious. I'm going to hang it on my comic book originals/prints art wall but I sort of want to put it somewhere like... my bedroom. Or keep it in my bag. So I can look at it constantly. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Speaking of, my love for the Twitch show Critical Role (from the Geek & Sundry Twitch channel) continues to grow wildly. When I explain what it is to people, the general response is "... how is that entertaining?" but trust me you guys! It is! It's a weekly live stream of a game of Dungeons & Dragons played by 9 insanely talented voice actors. Stop. I can hear your eyes rolling from here. I PROMISE YOU IT IS SO GOOD. If you ever wanted a masterclass on storytelling or character building, this is it. Also, they've started playing Just Dance after the main episode and it was so funny to watch I ended up on the stream til 2am. On Friday I saw a production of the Rocky Horror Show. I'd never seen the stage version and a guy I knew from a musical we were both in a few years ago was playing Frank so I went tot check it out. HOLY CRAP it was AMAZING. Also there was a themed cocktail. The Sweet Transvestite was delish. Saturday my sister, niece and I all wore Captain Marvel shirts to take part in the Geek Walk 5k (which started with a hilarious 0.5k for all the geeks not used to physical activity. There was even a couch set up halfway through.) and that evening was Meeting #1 for AVENGERS CLUB. I set up Avengers Club as a weekly double feature screening of Marvel movies to prepare for AGE OF ULTRON! Meeting #1 included Iron Man & Thor, skipping Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk... Since it was also International Table Top Day we played some Boss Monster and Monty Python Fluxx during the films.

 

April 14 - April 20

Here's some awesome things that happened this week. Great Steel Magnolias rehearsals. Went to a Quarter Auction for the first time. Had a wine tasting for my sister's wedding wines. Played an awesome new game - Terra Mystica. I could talk about stuff like that. But really all I want to do is WATCH THE NEW STAR WARS TEASER AGAIN AND HOLY CRAP. It made me cry. At work. Awkward.


Play along by posting in the comments, blogging your own GratiTuesday or tweeting with #BestThingToday!

GratiTuesday #6 - 8

Finding the positives in every day. 


So.... Definitely missed posting the last 2 weeks. WHOOPS! Rather than a long rambling post outlining the last 21 days I'll just give you the highlights of the highlights. Extra highlighted.

March 17 - 23
This week I went to the Bridal store, got measured up and dropped a downpayment on my bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding. Exciting! I saw two new movies -  Birdman & The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The later was a lunch date matinee with my mom and grandma which was delightful. My sister, Christine, and her fiance had to go up to the GTA for their engagement photos so I hitched a ride so we could spend some time with my other sister, Courtney, who lives up there. I HAD CHICKEN & WAFFLES FOR THE FIRST TIME AND MY LIFE HAS CHANGED FOREVER. Saturday night we went out for a nice dinner, went back to Courtney's place, had some drinks and watched YouTube videos of music from the late 90s/early 2000s and sang all night. Seriously, till 4am. Sunday had a surprise party for a lovely friend of mine.

13776_794926317061_3940679255431500985_n.jpg

March 24 - 30
Another new movie this week. The Theory of Everything. On Friday I got to see Bo Burnham live! He was INCREDIBLE! My favourite part was at the very end. He did an amazing Kanye West-style autotuned rant and I've had parts of it running through my head ever since. I am constantly singing it wandering around the house. On the weekend we had our monthly themed potluck get together of my mom's side of the family. This month was at my parents' place and the theme was all appetizers. I decided to try a new recipe & made Buffalo Cauliflower Wings and they were INSANELY GOOD. (Find the Recipe HERE)

March 31 - April 6
My favourite annual event was this week. It's a night where a bunch of local chefs, wineries and breweries all come together to create and amazing meal with pairings to raise money for the hospital. Always so much fun and so much yum. Courtney came down on the weekend so all 3 of us sisters could spend Easter weekend together. On Saturday we got manicures, had brunch at my favourite restaurant and Courtney went to her bridesmaid dress fitting. We all took turns each night cooking for each other. I made a spicy Asian salmon dish, Courtney made quinoa fried "rice" and Christine made these huge chicken meatballs. Everything was SO GOOD. My niece was at her dad's this weekend but we got to have her for a bit on Easter Sunday. It started as a cloudy day but it turned surprisingly nice so we all went for a walk and played in 2 different parks, which she (and we!) thought was just great. Yesterday was Dungeons & Dragons night and it was SO FUN. We adventured around and took out so many goblins & hobgoblins that we all got to level up! I think I am getting the hang of it!


Play along by tweeting with #BestThingToday & be sure to follow Jim's posts at Positively Jim!

GratiTuesday #5

Finding the positives in every day. 


Tuesday March 10, 2015 - There is a special kind of happiness when you turn someone into a fan of something you LOVE. Especially when you have been dying to have someone to talk about it with. My sister finally gave in to my pleas to start listening to the My Brother, My Brother and Me and she loves it and I AM SO HAPPY.

NSFW!!

Wednesday March 11, 2015 - GETTING. SHIT. DONE.

Thursday March 12, 2015 -  Today I had an especially good thrift store haul. Some jewelry, some great books, a fantastic decorative unicorn plate...

Friday March 13, 2015 - Ended the work week with a little slumber party at my parent's with my sister & niece. 

Saturday March 14, 2015 - Today I went to a surprise party for a friend of mine. He seemed genuinely surprised so that's always fun. It was superhero/board game themed so I got to play a few games. Because of that, I got to cross off "Play 5 New Board Games" off my 30x30 list since I learned how to play Puerto Rico! Would play again!

Sunday March 15, 2015 - The pure delight of having the first BBQ (homemade) burgers of the year. SPRING, YOU ARE SO CLOSE!

Monday March 16, 2015 - ADVENTURING! After making my first ever character last week, I got to take my Half-Elf Druid on her first outing tonight. I cannot overstate how excited I am to have a D&D group to play with!


Play along by tweeting with #BestThingToday & be sure to follow Jim's posts at Positively Jim!

GratiTuesday #4

Finding the positives in every day. 


Tuesday March 3, 2015 - Holy smokes. The mid-season premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was SO SO GOOD. Thinking back to the beginning of the series and how far it's come, I feel sad for the people who gave up on it early in the first season. It's really found it's groove.

Wednesday March 4, 2015 - After dinner my mom & I went to my sister's house to watch some Say Yes to the Dress Canada and talk about the hair & makeup quotes for *her* wedding. Woo!

Thursday March 5, 2015 - Got to leave work a bit early with some other people from the office to go out of town for a hockey game. And I accidentally got a buzz on. A couple drinks on the bus... A couple drinks in the suite at the arena... I'm not a hockey fan but it was definitely a lot of fun. And the pizza & wings were pretty great too.

Friday March 6, 2015 - My sister and I went to a Scentsy/Velata open house. I may have impulse bought a crepe maker & a fondue warmer....

Saturday March 7, 2015 - BAD DAY ALERT! The highlight was definitely spending the evening with my family. My sister and I went over to my parent's place and we ordered some Boston Pizza takeout.

Sunday March 8, 2015 - Bad day turns into bad weekend. Ended up going back over to my parent's and my mom & I started watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. If there was ever a show to pull a person out of a funk THIS IS IT. I am in LOVE.

Monday March 9, 2015 - NO COAT! Ok, so it was only +2 outside but it's SO SUNNY so I will take it! I went all afternoon with just a hoodie and no coat and life is beautiful. Also, today was Day 1 gathering for my D&D group! Spent the evening creating our characters for the campaign. I am too excited about this. 


Play along by tweeting with #BestThingToday & be sure to follow Jim's posts at Positively Jim!

GratiTuesday #3

Finding the positives in every day. 


Tuesday February 24, 2015 - Shopping! Picked up 3 new movies (Big Hero 6, 101 Dalmatians & Breakfast at Tiffany's),  and I FINALLY found the Captain Marvel figure I have been searching for!

my precious

my precious

Wednesday February 25, 2015 - There is something magical about a great brainstorming session. I felt on fire with ideas today! 

Thursday February 26, 2015 - My TableTop lootcrate came in today. Went out of town and got some Red Lobster which I had been craving for weeks & Starbucks, which I had been missing since the only one in my town closed.

MOTHER. FLIPPIN. LOBSTERFEST.

MOTHER. FLIPPIN. LOBSTERFEST.

Friday February 27, 2015 - Went to get groceries to make my chilli for tomorrow and my dad offered to pay! Woo! I love cooking so I really enjoyed getting it all ready. Just a few finishing touches tomorrow.

Saturday February 28, 2015 - Chilli night with my mom's side of the family. I made Jamie Oliver's Green Chilli and it turned out SO GOOD (if I do say so myself). It was an all around great night - going through genealogy finds, going through old photos and memorabilia of my grandpa's from WWII and hearing some stories about my cousins that made me cry laughing. So much food. So much fun.

SO MUCH YUM.

SO MUCH YUM.

Sunday March 1, 2015 - Crafternoon! Got all caught up on my January & February One Little Word tasks. Just in time to start this month's!

My February homework!

My February homework!

Monday March 2, 2015 - One of my favourite podcasts, We Have Concerns, used one of my story submissions for their new episode! Again! And it was for their 100th episode, which was also their first live show. Woo! Also great today: not dying via chunk of ice falling off the roof and hitting my head. Seriously, leaving work I escaped this fate by, like, 30-45 seconds. #blessed


Play along by tweeting with #BestThingToday & be sure to follow Jim's posts at Positively Jim!

GratiTuesday #2

Finding the positives in every day. 


Tuesday February 17, 2015 - A great mail day! Got some amazing goodies from The Tiny Hobo and the "Gamer Nouveau" t-shirt from TeeFury.

I spy my uniform for this year's Extra Life marathon!

I spy my uniform for this year's Extra Life marathon!

Wednesday February 18, 2015 - One of my favourite artists, James Hance, had an insane sale. He would list an original piece of art on his Facebook page and the first person to message him would get it for $100. !!! The first thing he posted at 9am this morning was a framed 10x12 graphite/watercolour/watercolour pencil piece of Adam West's Batman. Since I'm posting about it right now, I think you can guess who nabbed it! I told him I'd love to have it if he was able to ship to Canada and he said yes- for $5! FIVE DOLLARS! For a FRAMED piece! $105 total for a framed original!!! Losing my mind!!! 

I MEAN SERIOUSLY LOOK AT THIS!

I MEAN SERIOUSLY LOOK AT THIS!

Thursday February 19, 2015 - Had a great Steel Magnolias rehearsal at thr coffee shop. I'm working my way through all the specialty lattes, haha! The Great Northern (maple syrup latte) was SO GOOD. When I got home, I got myself completely caught up on Sailor Moon Crystal. I think it's the only show I am  up to date on right now!

Friday February 20, 2015 - Game night! Is there anything better than having some drinks with friends and playing some games? Many, many laughs were had.

Saturday February 21, 2015 - Turkey pot pie. Enough said. (Thanks dad!)

Sunday February 22, 2015 - We had a "social night" for Steel Magnolias so the cast could get to know each other. Great ladies, great wine, great food, great rehearsal. I also caught the tail end of the Oscars, so I got to to see this...

Monday February 23, 2015 - I managed to secure the donation for a project that I was hoping for & found out that two of my favourite comedians, Debra DiGiovanni & Mark Forward, are coming to town!

Great week!


Play along by tweeting with #BestThingToday & be sure to follow Jim's posts at Positively Jim!

GratiTuesday #1

Last week on Twitter, my friend Jim made the following posts...

I thought this was the BEST IDEA EVER. So we committed to keeping each other accountable. Every day we would take notice of all the good things. He's posting his daily at his blog, while I decided to tweet them with the hashtag #BestThingToday and then post a weekly roundup here. Every Tuesday. Mostly so I could use that horribly cheeseball title. Because I am a cheeseball. I am okay with this.

These posts will usually cover the previous Tuesday to the Monday, but since we started this journey last Monday, this one's got an extra day. (Hopefully future posts will also include photos and videos, but for this week it'll be just a text dump. Sorry!)

Monday February 9, 2015 - Obviously - Jim & I committing to looking for the highlights in every day. I feel like this is the start of something big! Also, it was announced that Spider-Man is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Coincidence? I think not. Also, also? I won a free coffee.

Tuesday February 10, 2015 - I won a free donut! I'm on a roll (unintentional pun). Also, this afternoon I purchased an item of clothing I've always wanted to try but thought that, as a fat woman, I would never be able to pull off. I got myself an awesome jumpsuit! This is going to be perfect for summer concert season.

Wednesday February 11, 2015 - My sister offered to make me dinner tonight. I got some great food to eat and the absolute delight that is getting to hang out with my 4 year old niece. She is just the best.

Thursday February 12, 2015 - Had a great 'character study' discussion at a great local coffee shop with the director/the 2 actors playing my favourite characters for the play I am Assistant Directing (Steel Magnolias). I am so excited for this play. When I got home, after a struggle with my computer, I finally got a load of new albums loaded onto my phone. Yay new music!

Friday February 13, 2015 - The simple but pure pleasure from a good bubble bath. I used the magical blend of a Unicorn Horn bubble bar and Northern Lights bath bomb. PERFECTION. Afterwards, I used an extensive amount of different face products (aka magic potions) and it was just a delightful night.

Saturday February 14, 2015 - Valentine's Day! Even as a chronically single lady, I really love Valentine's Day. Mostly because I get to celebrate the one I love. ME. Got up early(ish) and went to the grocery store to get some ingredients to cook myself an awesome brunch. I had baby naan bread with mashed avocado, egg whites and sauteed crimini mushrooms. SO MUCH YUM. I spent the afternoon reading comic books in bed. Then, one of my bests picked me up so we could get some Heart-Shaped Pizzas for dinner. We headed back to her house where I brought out my surprise activity - FLAVOUR TRIPPING (blog post to come). Afterwards, two other fab ladies joined us and we watched some episodes of Sailor Moon Crystal and played the GameCube game Donky Konga (1&2) and then Mario Party 2 on N64. Best. Valentine's. Ever.

Sunday February 15, 2015 - There is something to be said for having an all day pajama day. Especially when you were up till 2 am the night before playing Mario Party...

Monday February 16, 2015 - Today was my dad's 60th birthday! We all went out for brunch at one of my favourite restaurants then spent the rest of the day at my parents house. We FaceTime'd my other sister in for cake & present time and it was just a lovely day. HBD Daddio.


And there you have it. My first week (and a bit) of taking note of my favourite part of every day. I challenge you to do the same. Let's see where this takes us.

Be sure to follow Jim's posts too, at Positively Jim!

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